sea ranch.

On the way home from our cabin stay, we drove out to Sea Ranch. Sam's been wanting to see the Sea Ranch Chapel for awhile, and it was really pretty amazing. (You can find more pictures online.) Eliza was really into it, and kept calling it a "mermaid house."

I'm feeling pretty grateful to have such close friends here in Berkeley, who are always up for adventures. Thanks, guys!

redwoods.

Forever ago, we rented a cabin with some friends in the Redwoods for the weekend. I decided that this is absolutely my kind of vacation. It was only a couple of hours away, we all stayed in a huge, beautiful (and very affordable!) lodge together, and just r-e-l-a-x-e-d. We walked around the grounds for a day, totally no the kids' terms. For example, we spent a couple of hours lounging by the creek letting them throw rocks in the water. We even went on a mini canoe ride. And spent an entire afternoon napping. Like, everyone got to take a nap. It was wonderful.

The rest of the time the kids ran around squealing and laughing, totally entertaining themselves. It was a huge success. And, I plan on renting this place every other weekend now. Not really. But, really...